1 Timothy 5:1
Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father.
What it says
Timothy must not rebuke an older man harshly, but appeal to him as he would to a father.
What it is doing
It begins the section by softening correction with honor.
In context
1Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. 2Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.